Railway-frog



2 Sheets-Sheet- (No Model.)

W. J. MORD'EN.

RAILWAY FROG. N0.'332,'733. Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. J. MORDEN.

RAILWAY FROG.

No. 332,733. Patented Dec. 22; 1885.

f/z aw/272,-

NITED STATES ATENT Games.

RAILWAY-FROG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,733, dated December 22, 1885.

Application filed July 30, 1885.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. MonDEN, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Frogs, of which the following is a specification, to wit:

This invention relates to animprovement in railway-frogs; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction and arrangement of the same, substantially as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to de scribe its construction and operation, referring tothe accompanying drawings, in which- Figurel is a plan view of my device in shape for use. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views of the frog-point. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line 00 :0, Fig. 1, somewhat enlarged to render it more clear; and Figs. 5 and 6 are, respectively, a plan and front elevation of a modified form of the point.

A represents a solid frog'point formed on one side with a separating or filling piece, a, and upon the other with a broad supportingbase, a. The separating-piece a may be made in various forms, either a Ushaped plate bolted to the shank of the wing-rail B, as in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, or in the form of fillingpieces, as at b in Fig. 3, all of which are covered by former patents granted to me, and all cast, swaged, or formed in any desired manner in one piece with the solid point. The supporting-base a upon the opposite side, as will be readily seen, may be formed in one piece extending along the side of the point; or to save material it maybe made, as in the drawings,of several projecting pieces, the web being cut away between them to lighten the point, while they form bearings for the movable wing-rail upon the cross-ties, and in any case they are formed in one piece with the point. The wings B B are bent in the usual manner, and each forms a part of either the main track or siding, as may be desired, and as herein shown. Beyond the throat of the frog a tie cord or bolt, 0, passes through both of the wings, and has upon each end a spring,

Serial No. 173,024. (No model.)

0, inclosed in a boxing, O, for protection from the weather, and upon each end of the rod is a nut, c, to adjust the tension.

Thewing B, which forms a part of the siding, is firmly secured to the U-plate a upon the point, and is also spiked to the ties, and always preserves its position with relation to the point,as shown in Fig. 1. The other wing, B, which forms a part of the main track, is secured at one end to the main rail in the usual way, and the opposite end lies loosely upon the base a of the frog-point and is confined in place by a transverse bar, (1, bolted upon suitable lugs of this base a, and passing through a hole, cl, in the wing-rail, as in Fig. 4. The springs O 0 hold this rail normally in close contact with the side of the point,and thereby form a continuous solid bearing for the wheels of a car passing upon the main track, there being very little space between the point and wing over which the train in passingjumps. The small end of the point is prevented i'rom receiving a series of blows and rapidly wearing away, which it might otherwise do if it were not for the close contact of the rail B with the side of the point. \Vhen the wheels pass on or off a siding, the flanges strike the sliding wing-rail and push it aside to give room for the passage of the wheelfiange, as will be at once understood, the springs being thereby compressed, and these return the wing to its normal position at once after the passage of the wheels.

It will be seen from the above description that it will make no difference in practice what is the peculiar form of the plates or projecting pieces a, so they are formed integral with the point, as their object is to firmly secure the wing B at a given distance from the point, in order that there may be free passage upon the main track.

In. making this frog, while it can be made as described, I prefer to use the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6, in which the base-plate is extended upon both sides of the point, and upon the side beneath the sliding rail it is formed with hooked projections, beneath which the foot-flange of the sliding rail passes, and which serve to hold it more firmly in place, give both rails a firmer and better bearing, and

do not admit of the twisting or turning of the rails when under pressure.

It is not essential to the proper operation of the frog that the springs and their tensionregulating devices should be formed as shown in the drawings, as any spring arranged to return the wing to place would serve the same purpose; but the one here shown appears the preferable mode, as being very simple and well protected from the action of the weather.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A railway-frog point formed in one solid piece, having on one side a projecting separating-piece for securing to one wing-rail, and upon the other a projecting base upon which the other wing lies and moves, both formed in one piece with the point, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a railway-frog, a solid point having an integral projection on one side to which one of the wing-rails is firmly secured, and an integral bearing-plate upon the other side, in combination with a movable wing-rail resting upon this bearing and held normally against the point by a spring, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a railway-frog, a point having upon one side a separatingpiece formed solid therewith, and upon the other a supporting-base,

also formed solid with the point, in combination with a stationary wing-rail secured to the separating-piece upon one side, and a movable wing upon the other side of the point, lying normally against the point and upon the projecting base-plate, and having its free end confined by a bar passing through the wing and secured to the base, and a spring bearing upon the movable rail to return it to contact with the point after being pushed aside by a beyond the throat of the frog, and having a spring, 0, upon each end inclosed in a case, 0, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses WVILLIAM J. MORDEN.

VVitnessesz' W. G. MOARTHUR, F. STRATTON. 

